A new report released by ManageEngine explored the impact of emerging technology, along with the emergence of a millennial workforce and the changing role of IT Service Management (ITSM) professionals.

Conducted in close collaboration with ITSM.tool, an ITSM-focused website and service offering independent industry analysis, the survey collated responses from over 300 ITSM professionals from across the world.

Key findings from the survey showed that while 82% of ITSM professionals believed that future IT roles will become more challenging, the majority also feel undervalued by their respective management. More than 60% are wary of the current global political climate, which may negatively impact recruitment for IT roles.

Rajesh Ganesan, director of product management at ManageEngine, said: "The ITSM industry is continually evolving in response to its micro and macro influencers, like technology, people, practices and government regulations.

"Being aware of potential future challenges and opportunities helps ITSM professionals stay relevant and responsive to changing landscapes in IT and business, giving their organisations a competitive edge."

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In terms of new technologies, cloud is viewed favourably by ITSM professionals, while artificial intelligence isn't seen as a major disruptor as of yet. On the latter, only 16% of respondents credit AI as affecting IT jobs.

Roughly 24% of ITSM professionals remain confident on existing ITSM best practices. The rising millennial workforce has 77% of ITSM professionals concerned that IT teams will be challenged in doing more to curb the expectation gap between younger and older members of the workforce.

Stephen Mann, principal analyst and content director at ITSM.tools, said: "It's interesting - and worrying - that 82% of survey respondents believe that working in IT will get harder over the next three years."

He added: "There are multiple root causes, including: nearly two-thirds of respondents think that the current local and global political climate is adversely affecting IT recruitment; only 24% of respondents think that existing ITSM best practices have kept up with the changing IT and business landscapes.

"Seventy-seven percent of respondents think that there is still more to be done to meet the expectations of millennial employees. Ultimately, as an industry, we still need to invest more in getting modern IT support right."